ANNUAL MEETING – With Root Beer Floats

In October we held our annual meeting with the largest attendance ever. Some think it was because we prepared root beer floats for everyone at the close of business. Others – more serious – think it was because our local star geophysical engineer, Allyson Pyrch, who has investigated earthquakes and earthquake damages all around the Pacific Rim, came and spoke about what to anticipate in our neighborhood when the next quake strikes. Whichever, the meeting brought out a crowd of 35, the largest we have ever had. 

It provided a useful occasion on which to discuss some future changes in our neighborhood as well. In the coming year we will watch construction on our new veterenary clinic on Douglas Way between Lake Grove School and the Miller Paint store, as well as the destruction of our friendly Parson’s Farm Veggie Stand to make way for another strip mall to be built by Gramor Development and a new Wells Fargo branch to replace the Lake Grove Home and Garden store on Boones Ferry Road. Knowledge is, if not power, at least the first step in participating – or commenting on what we want in the course of these developments. And comment people did! And many even showed up at a succeeding meeting to hear Wells Fargo’s architect respond to our comments and suggestions.

We are gaining experience in designing these meetings so that they meet the needs of our neighbors both for information about the way our community works and what its future will be like and for fellowship and celebration. Ending up with root beer floats, scooped up by professional chefs and others among our numbers, gave us all a little joy at being in the right place at the right time. And that’s what we hope Waluga Park will prove to be for all of us.